Alexander von der ropp



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APPARATUS P'OR AUTOMATIGALLY CLOSING BULK'HEAD DOORS. No. 578,028. I Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

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ALEXANDER voN DER- BOPP, on BERLIN,

GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ctosuie BULKHEAD-DOORS. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N O. 5'78,028, dated March 2, 1897.

Application filed June 12, 1896. Serial No. 595,300. (No model.)

To all whom it. may concern.-

Be it -known that I, ALEXANDER VON 'DER ROPP, a subject ofthe Russian Emperor, residing at Berlin, in the German Empire, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Automatically Closing or Opening Doors and the Like for Ships Tater-Tight Compartments, Buildings, Mines, and other Purposes, of which thefollowin g is aspecification.

In order to close a space or capacity of any kind by means of an automatically-acting closing device which. comes into action on a certain occurrence taking place, such, for instance, as i or closing the water-tight compartments of a ship in the event of leakage, it is rapidlyand reliably. It is alsonecessary that suchdevice should be very tion, and also that it should be brought back to its original position without difficulty. According to the present invention these objections are obviated by an arrangement whereby the force actuating the closing device is brought instantaneously in to action by a veryvslight external cause and without con1- plicated transmitting devices.

The essential feature of the invention 'con-' sists in providing a strongly compressed charge of gas inclosed in a receptacle, which charge in being' liberated by an external cause actsby its sudden forcible expansion upon a piston, by the consequent motion of which the required closure of a door, &c., is effected.

. The device is equally applicable for effecting the opening of doors, &c., such, for instance, as the exit-doors in theaters in case The construction of the device for carrying out the said mode of operating can be variously modified according to the purpose to which it is applied.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevation showing the device arranged to close a sliding door, the cylinder being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a detail of the breakable vessel. 'Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the application of the device to a swinging door. In the figures, B represents a space to be closed, such as'a'doorway in aships bulkdevice should act easily put in ac-- head or the like, and'A thesliding door; a

represents the cylinder in which are located is shown connected'to a swinging door. The

the breaker, of any,

Fig 3 the cylinder A- chamber for the breakable vessel 6 may be placed sired.

Thus, according to ing the sliding glass or other breakable vessel charged with the compressed gas (which may advanta directly over the cylinder A, if degeously be methyl chlorid) is contained in a closed metal casing communicating bya channel with one end of a cylinder containing a piston, the rod of which has a head that bears against a stud on vessel is a striker situated opposite a small neckon the'glass vessel, Whichstriker is urged by a spring to strike 'againstand break the said neck, but is ordinarily kept out of an arrangement for 0103- door of a ships bulkhead, a

the open sliding door.- Within the said casing containing the glass contact therewith by-being attached to a rod passin through the metal casing and secured by aligper ring to a fixed stuck; On water leaking 'into the compartment of the ship the paper ring becomes moistened and-in breaking allows the spring to throw the striker against the glass neck, so as to break it,-whereupon the expanding gas forces the piston and piston-rod forward in. the cylinder and causes the latter to push the sliding door to, or it may De -arranged to pull it.

The piston-rod head is not attached to the stud of the door, so that this can be openedand closed in the ordinary way when thedevice is not in action, and when the pistonrod has closed the door the head can be turned on one side, so as to allow the door to be opened again.

The breaking of the glass vessel may also I I be effected byexcessive heating incase of fire or by an electromagnetic striker actuated by an electric current, be arranged to be'operated by all three of the above agencies. 1

and the apparatus may opening exit-doors.

shock of the piston against the door.

breaking-device may glass vessel will be broken by the heat of the The same arrangement of apparatus may also be employed for closing hinged trapdoors in abuildin g in the event of a fire or for In this latter case between the piston-rod and the door there is no pivot. S The closing is effected only by the The be, too, omitted, as the fire. It may also be employed with advantage for opening and closing doors in mines in the event of fire or inundation.

The disposal for closingdoors is similar to the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. The breaking device may be, however, besides the water entering into the mines, actuated from a location beyond the mine by electricity. In this case the breaking device is the same as shown in Fig. 3. The only difference is that wires conduct the electric current to the breaking device.

- Having now particularlydescribed and ascertained the nature of my said invention and the manner in which thesame is to be performed, -I declare that what I claim is 1. In combination with the movable door, a piston connected therewith, acylinder for the piston, a breakable vessel containing an expansible fluid, a chambercontaining said vessel andconununicating with the cylinder and means Tor breaking the said vessel and re leasing the expansible fluid to operate the pis-' ton and the door, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the movable door, 7

a cylinder, apiston therein for operating the door and a fragile receptacle containing a fluid adapted toexpand when released there- I from, said receptacle being arranged to be broken to discharge its fluid into the .cylin-. der, substantially as described.

Signed at-Berlin, Germany, this 29th day of May, 1896. I

ALEXANDER VON DER'ROPP. Witnesses:

JOHN B. JACKSON,

.M'Ax WAGNER. 

